Ship's Business
by kerithwyn
Summary: It's crew evaluation day. A Fringe/Star Trek fusion fic.


**Ship's Business**

It's crew evaluation day.

Post-Elfin's "Open the Skies." (on AO3)

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The _William Bell_ was a young ship, in her second year of commissioned service. That was just long enough for ensigns to begin dreaming of promotions, and for officers of higher grades to start branching out in their extracurricular studies, looking for specialties that might win the attention of their superior officers. Most of the crew hadn't been serving long enough to merit a higher rank, and those who had still needed to spend a significant time in grade before they could be considered for promotion. The kind of special circumstances that warranted field promotions were generally hazardous enough that no one wanted to court them for a bump in rank.

The new ranks would go into effect barring an objection from Starfleet Command. Most of the time, no such interference occurred; starship captains (or in practice, their first officers) were expected to efficiently evaluate their crews and promote according to merit. Challenging that process would undermine a captain's authority and wasn't done lightly.

With Admiral Broyles as her fleet commander, Olivia had very little concern that her choices would be disputed. At the same time, she was subject to unique restrictions-specifically, that she had no input on the promotion of any of the other Cortexiphan subjects, to avoid the appearance of favoritism.

But her senior staff officers had proven more than fair in their treatment of all the crew and Olivia had no real concerns on that score, either.

Every captain had a different way of handling evaluations and assessments. Olivia was content to let Lincoln handle most of the reports, but she enjoyed meeting with her senior staff at the end of the process to draw up the formal promotion list. She kept those meetings as informal as possible; Sam sent up dinner and Olivia tried to encourage a relaxed atmosphere. Promotions were serious business but handing them out made her feel like Santa Claus.

She had a special reason for joy this evaluation cycle. One promotion request had been sent ahead of time and came back with swift approval. Olivia requested all but one of her senior officers to arrive at the meeting early, so that when the last came in-

Charlie walked through the door and blinked suspiciously at Olivia and the others standing at attention, waiting for him. It took him a moment to realize that Sonia was there too, doing an incredibly poor job of restraining a grin. Olivia thought Sonia might explode if she prolonged the anticipation, so she simply said: "Congratulations, Commander Francis."

Sonia came forward, almost tripping in her eagerness, and reached out to pin the full double braid over the sleeve of Charlie's uniform. "I'm so proud of you, babe!" Without waiting for an answer-or caring that anyone else was in the room-she dragged Charlie down for a kiss.

It lasted long enough for Brandon Fayette to begin shifting uncomfortably on his feet. Olivia decided to take pity on him, stepping forward just as Charlie and his wife broke apart.

"I knew you'd hate a more public ceremony." Heedless of protocol, Olivia moved in to kiss her friend's cheek. "You earned it, Charlie. So many times over."

Sonia grinned at her from under Charlie's arm. "That's what I've been telling him. And-" she glanced up into Charlie's face and he nodded, seeming speechless. "Dr. Stanton already knows, but you should congratulate me, too. We're pregnant!"

By then everyone else had gathered closer to shake Charlie's hand, but Olivia barely noticed them as she reached out to pull Sonia into a hug. "Oh, that's wonderful. Sonia, I'm so happy for you both."

Sonia hugged her back fiercely. "Me too. Come to dinner sometime, Olivia, it's been too long since we had you over. I'll cook, even."

That was Sonia to the core, always generous. She'd practically adopted Olivia from the moment Charlie introduced them, making sure Olivia knew she was always welcome in their home. Wherever that home happened to be, whether on Earth or a cramped starship cabin. Sonia had a gift for making the spaces she inhabited her own.

Olivia pulled back, blinking a little to clear her eyes before she turned to face Charlie again. "I'd say 'congratulations' again but that'd be redundant, so...good job." She beamed at them both, hoping they understood how genuinely thrilled she was. "Anything I can do to make you more comfortable, let me know.

"I've got everything I need here," Charlie said, his voice even rougher than usual.

"If Sam can't get the synthesizer to make pickles, we'll drop by the nearest outpost to get some," Lincoln told Sonia, and then he grinned at Charlie. "As far as the other thing goes, does this mean you won't call me 'boss' anymore?"

"You'd miss my tone." Charlie smirked, and nodded to the rest of them with a genuine smile. "Thank you, all."

"Okay," Sonia said in a decisive voice, "you have a meeting. Get to it. Don't keep him out too late, we've got celebrating to do." She winked at Olivia, smacked Charlie's ass, and headed out without waiting for another word.

"How is it," Peter commented into the air, "that sometimes it seems like we're not the ones running this ship after all?"

"Because we're not," Lincoln said in his driest tone.

Olivia coughed to get their attention. "Be that as it may," she said, "the rest of the crew would appreciate if we made a pretense of it. Especially those due for promotions."

They all seated themselves around the table, drinks and food at hand. Olivia gave them a moment to get settled, then started in. "We'll begin with the lieutenants, unless one of you is bucking for my job...?" They all laughed, shaking their heads, and she smiled around at her trusted officers. "All of you deserve your own commands, if you want them. But I'm happy to serve with you as long as you choose to stay."

"Not going anywhere, Captain," Frank said, and the other four made noises of agreement.

Olivia cleared her throat again, for different reasons this time. "Thank you. Diving in, most of the lieutenants simply aren't eligible yet due to time-in-grade parameters. I know a number of them are doing their best to push that limit, though."

Lincoln nodded. "Another few years and we'll have a ship full of lieutenant commanders. Those who don't take another posting, at any rate. Those closest to the threshold in terms of seniority are..." he scrolled through his PADD. "Kate Green and Edward Markham who were both already eligible as of last cycle, James Falcon, and Ann Mathis." He glanced at Brandon Fayette. "Your scientists are allergic to promotions?"

Brandon smiled and shook his head. "Markham doesn't care as long as he's left alone in his lab. Same with Kate," he said. "She'll refuse if asked. She's convinced Science Ops will assign her as an administrator somewhere and she'd never have time for pure research again."

"It's been known to happen," Olivia agreed. "Let them both know that the position's available if they ever feel the need to move on, or just want the extra braid. Peter, what about Lieutenant Falcon? He's qualified."

Peter frowned. "His work's exemplary. But his attitude sucks."

There was a momentary silence. "Explicate?" Olivia prompted.

"Entitlement issues," Peter said bluntly. "Don't take my word for it. I'm sure his psych reviews say the same, and the evals from the warp department."

Lincoln nodded, looking over the assessments. Olivia frowned. "Would he be happier on another ship?"

Peter shrugged. "He enjoys the work. It's me he's got an issue with. Falcon thinks he should be in charge and I don't agree. Simple as that." He held up a hand to forestall protests. "I know, I know, it's an untenable situation."

Brandon suggested, "Would he prefer a transfer to a smaller vessel? One where he'd have more autonomy."

"The thing is, he likes being on a big ship. And if he left I'd be stuck without a dedicated warp engineer, until we poached one from somewhere else. My other guys are great but they're not ready to step into that slot." Peter sighed. "Maybe I should sign us up for counseling."

"That's a good idea," Frank encouraged. "At least you'll get the issues out in the open."

"Peter, you'll follow up?" Lincoln asked, and made a note on his PADD when Peter nodded. "Table it, then. Charlie, what about Ann Mathis?"

"More than qualified," Charlie said promptly. "And I hear we've got an opening for a lieutenant commander."

Olivia laughed, but made a mental note to have a discussion with Charlie at some point. If he was grooming Ann as his replacement because he wanted to settle down somewhere with Sonia and the baby...well, she couldn't fault him for that. But she wanted to be prepared. In the meantime- "She's completed the command courses?"

"Everything but the final sim training." Charlie grinned. "Not taking bets on whether the simulator room's still standing when she's done."

"Well, then. Any objections?" Olivia looked mainly to Lincoln and Frank, whose assessments also bore weight here. Both of them shook their heads. "Unless Ann's desperate for the stripe immediately, the final exam will have to wait until we can deliver her to the Academy."

Charlie nodded. "That's fine. Besides, I know she wants to get back to Earth anyway-she's got a guy there. Bill something. I'm betting the next time we stop over, we'll temporarily lose her to a honeymoon."

"Oh, good for her. All right, approved." Olivia took a long drink of water before looking back at Lincoln. "Who's next?"

"That's it for eligible lieutenants. We'll have a number of candidates sooner rather than later, though." He glanced up. "Quite a few are already taking preliminary command courses via subspace: Astrid Farnsworth, Amy Jessup, Birger Anthonsen, and Renie Sala."

Olivia grinned. "I love having a ship full of motivated people. What about Lieutenants Varel and Tavar? I haven't interacted with either of them much." She didn't mention Nick Lane; he had his own goals and wasn't overly concerned with promotion as long as he and Olivia could serve together.

Peter laughed, startling her. "Oh, you should. Have you seen them together? I never thought I'd say this about two Vulcans, but they're_adorable._ Like perpetual newlyweds, even though they've already got a son."

"Selek, right? Ella's mentioned him."

"Yeah. Cute kid." Peter nodded down the table toward Brandon. "Maybe Tavar's said something different, but I got the impression from Varel that they're in no rush to hurry their careers along as long as they're, and I'm quoting, 'using their time and skills efficiently.'"

"That seems accurate," Brandon agreed.

"Moving on, then," Lincoln said. "We have a number of junior-grade lieutenants, but only one I'd consider ready for promotion. Thomas Kashner did exemplary work when we encountered the...ship-eater."

"Sold," Olivia said immediately. "And not just because he pulled six out of us out of that thing's guts."

"Yes, we're all grateful for that," Lincoln said in that dry tone again. "As far as the other junior lieutenants are concerned, most of them are progressing as expected, although I'd like to see Mr. Higgins take some initiative for further study."

Charlie shrugged. "He just likes flying the ship."

"Which is fine, but he'll find himself doing it on beta or gamma shift, if Ensign Iyer has anything to say about it," Lincoln retorted. "She's got that gleam in her eye that says she wants to be front and center."

"So does Ensign Chen," Olivia noted. "Our beta shift is full of assertive officers."

Brandon cleared his throat. "Speaking of ensigns..." he started, and continued to Olivia's nod. "I'd like to submit Ensign Okonkwo for advancement. Given his recent performance, and despite the fact that he continues to modify computer systems without authorization when he thinks I'm not looking." He paused and added, sounding resigned, "Usually for the better."

Peter looked delighted, and Lincoln nodded. "Anyone else?"

"Cameron James," Peter said without hesitation. "He's solid. Learning fast. I think the promotion will open his eyes to future possibilities."

Lincoln leaned back, looking amused. "That's two from your department, Kashner and James. Want to go for three?"

Peter looked like he was considering an entirely off-topic retort, so Olivia thought it'd be best to divert the conversation. "Charlie, what about your star ensigns?"

"It's that beta shift crew. Chen, Iyer, and Thecla." Charlie squinted at her. "I don't think it's a coincidence that this ship attracts a considerable percentage of particularly motivated female officers."

Olivia shrugged, not at all discomfited by the thought. "Are any of them ready for the next rank?"

"All three, frankly."

"Hmm. Lincoln?"

Lincoln narrowed his eyes, thinking. "They're all qualified. What I'd like to do is start providing them with cross-training experience: the three of them can rotate through the communications, helm, and navigation stations during the week. Assuming routine operations, of course," he added hastily.

"I like it," Olivia decided. "Tell Henry and Simon they've got competition for their posts and see how they react." She thought Henry might rise to the challenge, but suspected that Simon wouldn't be overly concerned.

Charlie nodded his approval. "I thought about recommending Sally Clark as well, but..." Olivia remained deliberately silent. After a moment, Charlie sighed. "She still has temperament issues. And she's not entirely satisfied with her placement."

"Arrange a change of pace, maybe," Lincoln suggested. "I know she has piloting skills?"

"Actually," Charlie said slowly, "I think she'll do better with a specific course of action. She's mentioned Starfleet Intelligence once or twice, think I'll push her in that direction and see if she bites."

"Sounds like those are our candidates, then." Olivia looked over the assembled list. "Frank, no one from your department?"

Frank shrugged easily. "Heath and Ioanis, next cycle. And I have a number of recommendations for the enlisted crew, but I assume we'll cover them in a separate meeting?"

"At a later date. I'm under orders to send Charlie home early." Olivia smiled and stood. "Good work, gentlemen. We'll have an official ceremony as soon as the approvals come back from Starfleet Command."

Lincoln stayed behind after the others had gone. "I had...a delicate question, if you don't mind? At least I think it might be. It's concerning the other Cortexiphan subjects."

Olivia nodded, having half expected this. "You're wondering why I'm the only one so far who's deliberately pursued command."

He blinked at her, startled. "Yes, exactly."

"I was lucky," she said softly. "What you're not seeing are the years of aftereffects some of them still struggle with. I fought for early Academy admission, but most of the others didn't feel comfortable joining Starfleet until later on."

"I...understand." He hesitated another moment. "If there's anything I can do to encourage the rest of them..."

She smiled at him. "You're already doing it."

Lincoln swallowed and looked away. Olivia watched the movement of his throat and thought, futilely, about how much she wanted to-

But he was probably thinking along similar lines, which made it a good time to take her leave. She'd promised Ella a bedtime story, anyway. Maybe the one about the scared little girl who grew up to be a starship captain.

That one was Ella's favorite. Olivia's, too.

**Promotions List (all approved)**  
Commander Charlie Francis  
Lieutenant Commander Ann Mathis (pending final simulator training at Starfleet Academy)  
Lieutenant Thomas Kashner  
Lieutenant jg Lian Chen  
Lieutenant jg Aashira Iyer  
Lieutenant jg Cameron James  
Lieutenant jg Akim Okonkow  
Lieutenant jg Thecla

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This fic brought to you by Too Much Research into Starfleet ranks and promotion schedules.

The USS William Bell org chart and crew roster have been appropriately updated. ^_^ (See AO3.)


End file.
